Memory Table Runners

If you have a Dinning room table chances are at one time or another you have had a table runner displayed.  I have several that I rotate throughout the year.  Some are old, very old, crocheted by my great grandmother. Some are quite new.  Regardless I think they add an element of sophistication to my Dinning table.

Several months ago I was contacted by a woman to make a memory quilt for her from her mother's clothing.  After that project was complete she asked me to make 3 table runners from several of her mothers clothes.  I have to say initially I was skeptical.  I wasn't sure how the clothes with interfacing fused to the back would lay and if it would look right as a table runner.  Well as soon as I had the first set of squares cut out I knew... it would be perfect.

I ended up making three total.  All bright and cheery.

I used 3.5 inch squares set on point, 66 total made from items of clothing that have special meaning for the owner.  The half triangles for each table runner is fabric picked to coordinate with the clothing.  For the quilting I quilted a simple stitch in the ditch to accentuate the diamond pattern.

The table runners turned out spectacular.  I am very pleased with the pattern and may have to make one of my own. Someday..

evermore

Over the Christmas Holiday the family and I went North to visit family and friends.  All and all we traveled 2300 miles round trip!  This translated into a ton of time spent in the car.  Knowing this I prepared a large bag of yarn and crochet hooks to keep me busy.

I crocheted these cute Sock Monkey hats for my niece and nephew. While visiting in Ohio a friend helped Me start these little cuties. She shared the pattern she used over at Repeat Crafter Me.  The hats were a simple project for my beginner crochet skills.

Speaking of beginner crochet.  While in Pittsburgh, Mom and I taught my younger sister to crochet.  Here is her first wash cloth.  TA-DA! She did great considering she is does not have any previous yarn working skills.  I think she was inspired to learn after a trip to the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh with her youngest.  The day she was there with him they were doing a project with yarn.  The instructor asked her son to add a piece of yarn to the project.  When the instructor started to explain yarn he said, "Yea, I know.  My whole family knits." He was so proud of us.  Aren't 7 year old great!

I also crocheted several wash cloths.  Here is a small sample. Many were left with the people we stayed with on our trip as a smallish.  Thank You for having us in over the holidays.  These are the few I remembered to take pictures. The two circle wash cloths Kitchen Lovelies are from Fiber Flux.

I also made two granny square wash cloths using a combination of several different patterns.

While staying with friends in Michigan I worked up this cute little hot cocoa ornament.  I found this pattern over at I'm Frayed Knot.  It is sooooo Cute! This was the home of the friend who started me on my knitting journey.  While there we learned that we were both picking up crochet.  How Crazy it that!  We hadn't even talked about it.  She made a hot cocoa ornament also which I brought home and promptly hung on my tree to enjoy.

Multi Item Long Arm Quilting

Have you ever tried to quilt multiple things at once? The idea intrigued me. Usually the idea pops into my head after I have already loaded one item onto my Long-arm machine.  One of those, 'I should have" moments.   This year when I decided to make 6 stockings it became the perfect situation to try it out.

I pieced together all 6 stocking fronts and used fat quarters for the backing.  I used a large sheet of muslin for the lining.

I loaded the muslin as I would the backing.  Then pinned each of the 6 stocking fronts to to the Long-arm machine leaders.  The biggest difference from quilting a larger quilt was the pinning.  I had to be very careful to pin down all the edges of each stocking carefully.  Each stocking front and back had to be basted down around all edges.  It was very easy to catch the foot of the machine on the raw edge of the pieced tops.

Once the stocking tops were loaded I moved on to the back.  I quilted a different pattern on each stocking front but on the backs I just quilted a simple meander pattern.

Once each pieced was quilted.  I simply cut the stockings out using my own pattern. I think this was a wonderful way to quickly machine quilt all the stockings at once.  

quilted stockings for all...

There is no doubt that Christmas is a busy season here, as it is everywhere.  Why then do I make it busier by taking on extra projects?  Every year it's the same story.  I decide to make extra teacher gifts or gifts for family or friends all right before Christmas in the midst of all the Christmas chaos.  This year was not an exception.

I stared this project all the way back in October.  In October I had plenty of time, Christmas was after all 2 months away.  Then it was November and the pressure started but not so much as to be unbearable. Then before I knew it, Thanksgiving was upon me. I finished up this project with just minutes before St. Nicolas was due to arrive.  Now here it is January already and I am just now posting this!  Crazy Busy.

My inspiration came from Amanda Murphy's Book Modern Holiday.  I loosely followed her pattern for most 5 of the 6 stockings.  My stockings were not as large, did not have a lining and I left out the trim between the cuff and the body of the stocking.  I have to admit my assembly veered far from Amanda's method, mostly due to time constraints.  I had every intention of binding the raw edges within the stocking body, but again time was not on my side.

I made the stockings for John and me from Amanda's hexagon pattern found in her book.  I also used the her pattern for the half triangle pattern for Mark's stocking.  I took the triangles cut from Amanda's templet and arranged them into a pinwheel design for Martin's stocking.  Jack's stocking was made using a triangle die from  my AccuQuilt Go! Baby

Emma's Stocking pattern was was my favorite.  Again the templet was from the Modern Holiday but the construction was all me. Each stocking was made using fabric from Moda, Folk Art Holiday. Each stocking was backed with a different print. I don't know what it was that attracted me to this pattern but I suspect it was the Chickens. LOL.